The severity of the fall fire season is often determined by what arrives first — the fierce Santa Ana winds or the rains.

This year, however, it’s been no contest. Autumn has seen excruciatingly little rain, intensely low humidity, record heat and powerful winds that sparked what is so far the second largest wildfire in modern California history.

“The result are these near-apocalyptic fires that we’re seeing,” climatologist Bill Patzert said.